Tiffany McClay
Dr. Fogleman
EDC 102H
19 September 2011 Personal Expertise Statement
I was thirteen years old leaving the movie theater with my parents and brother and my interest was piqued. We just watched “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and I wanted to learn the truth. Growing up I always saw pirates as myth-like and fantastical, but I never really cared much. Just three years earlier when I viewed the first movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” on the big screen with my family, I was nervous. The skeletons and eerie sights in the film scared me. Not anymore. All I talked about then was the movies. I counted down the days until the third installment was released in theaters in 2007 and I was ecstatic when I heard a fourth installment would premier just this past May. Due to these movies I am not only an expert on the films, I even have an early draft of the first three scripts, but I am also an expert on real pirates. Specifically, I know all things from the Golden Age of Piracy or the late 1600s to late 1700s. I am also well versed in the first Pirates, the Vikings, and Pirates throughout the 1800s. I am neither knowledgeable nor interested in modern day pirates; they lack a sense of adventure and code.
After leaving the movie theater, at thirteen years old, I began searching for books about pirates. Everywhere I went I looked for books that told the truth. All of my money, I spent on pirate books. My family and friends told me it was “a phase” and “it will pass,” I quickly told them “No, I love this stuff.” To this day I stand by that statement. I have quite the collection of books now and I am always looking for new resources. My obsession was not a phase but a mission. I had to know what Hollywood got right in the movies.
Instead of simply researching for fun on my own, I convinced my ninth grade World History teacher to let me write my required research paper on how pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy influenced the world. I advanced my knowledge by taking advantage of the school and town library resources. I never had so much fun researching and writing a paper. I even got my reluctant teacher interested in the subject. When I had the same teacher the following year for Rhode Island History he made sure to mention the pirate activity in Rhode Island, which was vast.
Later, in my tenth grade English class I had to complete a mini senior project which consisted of a research paper, a project and a presentation. I quickly discovered my teacher loved the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, almost as much as I did. I approached her with the idea of doing my project on the movies. She loved it! I wrote my paper on romanticized pirates, or the pirates in Hollywood compared and contrasted to real pirates during the Golden Age. My project was a scrap book of snapshots from the movies. I presented my scrapbook and explained what was fact and what was fiction. I kept the class interested and I enjoyed it. It was the easiest presentation I have ever done.
In my future I see myself as a high school history teacher. Using my pirate expertise I can incorporate the subject into the curriculum. Many people do not realize the importance pirates played in the history of the world, the United States and in Rhode Island. Unfortunately the topic is never or briefly discussed in history classes, I will change that even if it is just in my classroom.
My expertise in pirates may seem surprising and unorthodox but I love it. I cannot explain what draws me to the subject. Pirates are criminals and I am not a bad person, but I think that is part of the attraction. I want to know why bad people do bad things and pirates are my way of discovering. I may be a self-proclaimed expert on pirates and on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, but I know there is a lot more I can learn. I just need new books!
Dr. Fogleman
EDC 102H
19 September 2011
Personal Expertise Statement
I was thirteen years old leaving the movie theater with my parents and brother and my interest was piqued. We just watched “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and I wanted to learn the truth. Growing up I always saw pirates as myth-like and fantastical, but I never really cared much. Just three years earlier when I viewed the first movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” on the big screen with my family, I was nervous. The skeletons and eerie sights in the film scared me. Not anymore. All I talked about then was the movies. I counted down the days until the third installment was released in theaters in 2007 and I was ecstatic when I heard a fourth installment would premier just this past May. Due to these movies I am not only an expert on the films, I even have an early draft of the first three scripts, but I am also an expert on real pirates. Specifically, I know all things from the Golden Age of Piracy or the late 1600s to late 1700s. I am also well versed in the first Pirates, the Vikings, and Pirates throughout the 1800s. I am neither knowledgeable nor interested in modern day pirates; they lack a sense of adventure and code.
After leaving the movie theater, at thirteen years old, I began searching for books about pirates. Everywhere I went I looked for books that told the truth. All of my money, I spent on pirate books. My family and friends told me it was “a phase” and “it will pass,” I quickly told them “No, I love this stuff.” To this day I stand by that statement. I have quite the collection of books now and I am always looking for new resources. My obsession was not a phase but a mission. I had to know what Hollywood got right in the movies.
Instead of simply researching for fun on my own, I convinced my ninth grade World History teacher to let me write my required research paper on how pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy influenced the world. I advanced my knowledge by taking advantage of the school and town library resources. I never had so much fun researching and writing a paper. I even got my reluctant teacher interested in the subject. When I had the same teacher the following year for Rhode Island History he made sure to mention the pirate activity in Rhode Island, which was vast.
Later, in my tenth grade English class I had to complete a mini senior project which consisted of a research paper, a project and a presentation. I quickly discovered my teacher loved the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, almost as much as I did. I approached her with the idea of doing my project on the movies. She loved it! I wrote my paper on romanticized pirates, or the pirates in Hollywood compared and contrasted to real pirates during the Golden Age. My project was a scrap book of snapshots from the movies. I presented my scrapbook and explained what was fact and what was fiction. I kept the class interested and I enjoyed it. It was the easiest presentation I have ever done.
In my future I see myself as a high school history teacher. Using my pirate expertise I can incorporate the subject into the curriculum. Many people do not realize the importance pirates played in the history of the world, the United States and in Rhode Island. Unfortunately the topic is never or briefly discussed in history classes, I will change that even if it is just in my classroom.
My expertise in pirates may seem surprising and unorthodox but I love it. I cannot explain what draws me to the subject. Pirates are criminals and I am not a bad person, but I think that is part of the attraction. I want to know why bad people do bad things and pirates are my way of discovering. I may be a self-proclaimed expert on pirates and on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, but I know there is a lot more I can learn. I just need new books!